War hero thrilled to be played by Robert Pattinson

In the new movie, which chronicles the capture of Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein, Pattinson will play real-life military interrogator Eric Maddox, who wrote the book that inspired the film project.

And as the movie creates a buzz at the Cannes Film Festival in France, Maddox has gone public with his thoughts about the casting - and he approves.

He says, "For me, it was a no-brainer. I said absolutely! Whatever you did to get that guy to be a part of this movie, I think it's wonderful and I fully support it. We're talking about a guy who is super famous and really popular.

"We met for 14 hours and he focused exclusively on the project and wanted to get down to the nitty gritty of the project. His entire focus was on the project. It wasn't about him or his needs, and from that, I realised that this is a guy who is dedicated to his work and wanted to put in the hours. That's what made me certain that they have built the right team for this."